Wire-fence stretcher.



J. WILLIAMS.` WIRE FENCE STRETCHEH.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 31 i913.l

Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

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a, wAsn JACKSON WILLIAMS, OF kEKRON, KENTUCKY.

WIRE-FENCE -STRETCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented luztl. 20, 1917.

Application med october 31, 1913. serial No. 798,565.A

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACKSON l/VTLLIAMS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ekron; in the county of Meade and State of Kentucky7 haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements inlVire-Fence Stretchers,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wire fence stretchers and has for its primaryobject to provide a device in which the pull on the wires comprising thefence will be substantially simultaneous and uniform.

Another object resides in the provision of a simple and efficientanchoring element or stand which is detachably engaged with the earth soas to be placed in proximity to the fence on which the pull is to beexerted.

Other objects as well as the nature, characteristic features and scopeof my invention will be more readily understood from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings andpointed out in the claim forming a part of this s eciiication. v

Re erring to the drawings :n

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the anchor stand and operating leverconstructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 isa front elevation of the wire clamping member;

Fig. 3 is a sectional vi'ew taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail enlarged front elevation of one of the lever grippingjaws; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the wire fence clamping member showing thesame in a closed position.

In the drawings wherein is illustrated the preferred embodiment of thisinvention an anchor stand-10 is provided which in the present instancecomprises a pair of metal straps 11 each of which has an intermediateportion thereof formed so las to providek a support as indicated at 12while the extreme 'ends of each is turned at obtuse angles so as toprovide feet 13 said feet being provided with apertures which areadapted for engagement with securing pins 14, each of the securing pinsin the present instance comprising a single strand of wire which has oneend thereof bent at right-angles to the body so as to limit the movementof the same in the earth, with which the anchoring stand, through themedium of the feet 13, is engaged. Secured to these supporting portions12 of the straps 11 is a plate 15 which is detachably secured to theportionsV 12 through the medium of bolts 1G or other suitable detachablesecuring means, said plate being provided for supporting a pair of yokes17, each of said yokes comprising a sheet of metal formed so as toprovide an apertured ear 18 at one end, and having portions 19 thereofturned outwardly at rightangles to the. body on the opposite end throughwhich the yoke is secured to the plate l5. Y

Fulcrumed between the yokes 17 is an actuating lever 20 which isfulcrumed or pivoted adjacent one end thereof between the ears 18, theapertures being provided in said ears so as to aline with a transverseopening in said operating lever through which a fulcrum or pivot pin 21is engaged. Arranged on the lever 2O adjacent its pivotal connectionwith 'the yoke member 17 are a pair of gripping jaws 22 each of which isformed from a metallic plate having the opposite ends thereofbifurcated,the branches of the bifurcation as indicated at 23 being pivotallyengaged with the lever 2O while the branches of the bifurcation 211which are formed at the opposite end of the gripping jawA are preferablybeveled and tapered to a point, said pointed ends being arcuated so as`to provide hooked ends the .function of which will subsequently appear.

In order to prevent the creeping of the anchoring stand on the ground,or earth; which would sometimes be caused when the earth or ground towhich the stand is secured is in a soft condition, I have secured in theplate 15 an eye-bolt 25 with which is engaged a chain 26, said chainbeing secured to a stationary object such as a tree, post, or the likein order to insure the rigidity of the structure during its operation.V

In order to facilitate the stretching of the wire and to provide a stepby step movement of thersame, so as to exert a constant simultaneous andVuniform pull on the wire a suitable clamping element generallydesignated 27 is provided which is hinged at its opposite ends asindicated at 28, said hinges being secured to the jaws 29 of the elementthrough the medium of screws 30 or the like so that the same may bedetached when so desired.

One of the jaws iS provided with a plurality of recesses 31 which areadapted for engagement with studs 32, the latter being carried by theopposite jaw in order to limit the vertical movement of the wiresVduringV the stretching operation, as each strand of wire will beconiined between a pair oi said studs 3Q. Set screws 33 are engagedthrough the jaws 29 o'f the wire clamping element 27 so as to. snuglyengage the wire between said jaws thereby preventingthe slipping of thesame when pressure is exerted on the jaws. Each of the jaws 29 isprovided with a block 3e through which the set screws 33 are engaged, soas to prevent the displacement of the same which would be caused after acertain length of time due to the pressure exerted thereon by the yokes35, said yolres having threaded bores, each of the volier having an eye36 formed thereon which is engaged b v a chain 23T. said chain in turnbeing engaged by the gripping jaws 23 so thatv when pressure is exertedon the actuating lever 20, the wire clamping element 27 will be moved ina horizontal plane toward the anchor stand l0 in order to simultaneouslyexert a uniform pull on the wires of the fence which are arrangedbetween said clamp element. ln view of this tact the blocks 34 arepreferably formed of metal so as to insure at all Jfinies a rigid anddurable structure capable of withstanding the strain exerted thereon.

In operation the clamping aws 29 are engaged with the wire to bestretched. Should the same o barb or strand wire, each strand will beplaced between a pair of the stucs 32 thereby limiting the verticalmovement of the same lor facilitating the stretching of the wire. Theset screws are then actuated causing the jaws to be snugly engaged withthe wire which is placed therebetween, and the chains 37 then engagedwith the gripping jaws The lever 2O is actuatable in the arc of a circleon the pivot or ulcrum pin 1S so that when the same is operated itcauses the wire clamping element 2T to be pei-ated in a horizontalplane. It is seen that each of the links 3T it desired may be engagedwith the arcuate biturcated ends Q4; of each ol the jaws l2 so as toprovide a step Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each,by addressing the by step movement facilitating the stretching of thefence and eliminating the frequent moving of the anchoring stand l0 asit is obvious that a plurality of the links 37 may be carried by theeyes 36, and the stands 10 placed a suiiicient distance, sayapproximately four or ve eet from the points at which the pull is to beexerted on the wire, thereby causingthe entire stretching of the wirewithout moving the stand l0. rlhe positioning of the stand 10 withrespect to the clamping element 27 will oi course be according to thefence or wires which are to be stretched.

.it will be understood that the above de scription and accompanyingdrawings comprehend only the general and preferred embodiment ot myinvention and that various minor changes in details of construction,proportion and arrangement of the parts may be made within the scope ofthe appended claims and without sacriiieing any of the advantages of myinvention,

Having thus fully described my invention what 'I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is z A device of the character describedincluding a pair oit clamp members provided with openings therein,blocks positioned in said openings and having transversely extendingopenings, yolres engaged with said blocks and provided with threadedopenings registering with the openings of the blocks, means extendingthrough 4the openings of the blocks and screwed into the openings ofsaid yokes for holding the latter from displacement, and means extendingfrom said yolres to be placed in connection with a power element wherebyfence wires held between said clamp members may be stretched.

In testimony whereof affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JACKSON VILLAMS. lVitnesses:

J M. RICHARDSON, MA'rrin LEE RICHARDSON.

Commissioner 0f Patents,

Washington, D. C.

